Just Pure Lovely

Invited to Dance at Disney

All fall and winter, our 15-year-old daughter worked on an exciting trip...to dance on the waterfront stage in Downtown Disney at DisneyWorld in Orlando, a priviledge extended only to those dance companies who audition and are invited. 

It's a big deal.

We drove hundreds of miles for practices and rehearsals,  paid hundreds of dollars,  massaged muscles, rubbed sore feet, thought positive thoughts when teachers were negative, pushed through blood sugar issues, ate mini meals to keep energy up...and it was going to be The Trip of a Lifetime.

But...it kinda...wasn't.

The teachers were stressy, the stage was slippery, dancers tumbled, shoes fell off, and one dancer came even though she was ill with a stomach virus..and it spread through the group like wildfire, to our gal, too.  (don't, don't, don't, please don't send your kid to an event while ill)

Life isn't nice. 

                   Sometimes.

Well, lots of times.

When she spent Monday in a hotel while the other dancers were enjoying DisneyWorld's Magic Kingdom, life was not nice.  It was not nice when I spent 48 hours waiting up, worrying, texting, calling, wondering, praying.  I'm not normally a paranoid mother, but our gal has problems keeping her blood sugar stable, so this illness could not be a more dangerous one to her (please, please don't send your ill kid to an event). 

I wish I had a "but this is why it was worth it" thing to say, but I don't.  I just don't.  At this point, one week from that awful Monday, and now that she is well enough for me to get away to think, I still can't reach the conclusion that the trip was worth it.  It really wasn't worth the money we didn't have but put into it anyway, and it wasn't worth the hours upon hours of rehearsals and driving, and it wasn't worth the stress and worry over whether or not we should take her to the hospital.  

And so, when you're a mom, what do you say to a kid when something so wonderful fails so miserably?

I'm not sure.  

And so I said, "Wow, yeah, life sure isn't nice sometimes. Want to have a movie marathon?" 

On Busy Days & Raising Teens

I have never in my life known busyness as I know it now.  As of yesterday, we have three teenagers in the house.  No, don't say you're sorry.  I absolutely love teens; in fact, they're in my favorite childhood stage so far as a mom.  

But this is also the most exhausting stage.  As I type, at nearly 2am, one of them is still up.  And one goes to work at 7am.  I drive 40-90 miles per weekday to take one to basketball, one to dance, one to work, two to wind ensemble, three to archery...and so on.  

I miss nap times and early bedtimes.  Oh, how I miss those free moments. 

But I would never go back, for I love the moments now.  Yesterday, the same day our third child turned into a teenager, our 17-year-old went across the state line with Dad and came home with this....

I am so proud of him.  He patiently waited for just the type of car he wanted (something classic) and, when he found it, he paid for it with his own cash.  

I have so many words in my head, so much I want to write, so many crafts I want to stitch or purl, books I want to read, flowers I'd like to plant, but right now...I'm busy investing in three teens who are on the very edge of going out into the world - one in a 1962 Mercury Monterey.

On True Love

“Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being 'in love' which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love, have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.” 

― Louis de Bernières, Captain Corelli's Mandolin*

p.s. This is us, 20 years of marriage into the thick of it.  "It's inconceivable that we should ever part."

 

 

*I haven't read this book, so I'm not necessarily recommending it.  I just like this quote.

Something Positive (ish)

When our kids say something negative about a sibling, they have to then say three positive things about that person.  Tim (the hubs) was giving me a hard time about something or other recently -- it wasn't a serious offense - he was joking - but it was just enough for me to say, "You have to say something positive about me now!  No, wait, write it for all to see." 

He wrote this: 

Hmm.

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15

Fifteen years ago, I was twenty-something.  My life was full -- we had a two year old boy with bowl-cut light brown hair, and I'd just delivered the most beautiful black-haired, light-skinned, rosy-lipped little girl the world has ever seen. She was Snow White in person. 

A few hours after bringing her into the world, while still in the hospital, I collapsed in the shower.  Blood surrounded me, my body was shutting down, my blood pressure plummeted. I saw the infamous white light. 

Someone shouted.  Hurried footsteps.  The nurse's aide who found me panicked, nurses came, two doctors ran - one from his office, one from the emergency room - to see who would get there first, the head nurse told me to focus on her eyes  -- I remember her face clearly; I thought she was my dark-skinned, brown-eyed angel.

She blurred and disappeared. Falling, falling, falling, falling....letting go of all but a thread. 

A bit of sadness:  his graduation, her wedding day.

Overwhelming peace. Peace and clarity of thought:  I was okay with this. 

Grateful. My baby was healthy.  I was the one hurt; she wasn't.

Thankful.  I'd given my husband a little boy and a little girl. They could only improve this world.

At some point, God said "not yet," and the doctors and nurses won the battle.  I could see again.  I searched for my husband.  His panicked face is another image I will not forget. 

I was too weak to hold my baby;  it took weeks to make more blood so I could be strong again. But I survived and I did grow strong enough to enjoy her little girl years, her awkward stage, and now her teen years.

One thing has remained true for 15 years:  I'm grateful and thankful for my baby girl.

She can only improve the world.

 

 

Our Disney Trip: The Mosaic of Memories

In April, our family was invited to attend the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. That big title also means, to us, "A whole lotta fun and wonderful memories."  

My parents joined in our memory-making, and my husband opted out of going, so it was:  Our 16yo son, 14yo daughter, 12 yo son, 9 yo daughter, Nana, Popo and me. 

Soon, I want to write a post of tips for your family's Disney trip, but first, here are a few of our memories, taken from my iPhone camera:

Disclosure: I was invited to the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration conference.  My travel and expenses were heavily subsidized as part of this program, however I was not specifically asked to share anything with my readers about the conference or anything related to Disney.  I am doing this on my own accord. All opinions are my own. 

 

 

These Crazy, Busy Days

Life has been full and busy and amazing. And busy.  Here is a little glimpse at our past month, through the lens on my iPhone camera...

I have more than a few blog posts in my head about these busy days and those photos, but the busyness needs to slow down so I can actually write!

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A moment, if you please.

Here's a wee moment from this week that I'd bottle up and keep on a shelf if only I could...

iPhonetography, April 10, 2012

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On Creatively Exercising

(our 14-year-old daughter, who stays fit through ballet)

For too many years, I put everything else in my life - building a website, homeschooling, being a mommy, home projects - above my health.  It's ridiculous, really, that many of us moms don't take the time to stay healthy.  We want to give our children an amazing childhood, and how can we do that if we are not healthy?

As part of getting my health back in 2012, I'm keeping track of what I eat and learning more about calorie input and calorie output.  In order to keep my calorie intake balanced with my output, I've realized that I have to actually move more (gasp!). 

I don't want our children to have to think about exercise as consciously as I must.  I would rather they move without realizing they're doing anything special.  We encourage active play at our house by keeping things here and there, from the Wii to the horseshoe pit, and from the kayaks to the Kinect.  One son plays basketball in the front yard every day, our daughters take dance lessons, and all three of the older kids jog a mile now and then.  As a family, we go on walks, canoe, or play the Kinect or Wii.

Last week, our daughter helped me think of yet another way to exercise together.   She and her friend, who has a new camera, wanted to go on a photo shoot with me.  Without even thinking of it as exercise, I walked a few miles that evening while snapping photos around the bay, up the cliff, into town, and around the fountain.  It was the most pleasurable exercise a girl could have, and while enjoying the company of two young teens.

This week, I learned about Together Counts, a nationwide program inspiring active and healthy living.  The purpose of the Together Counts campaign is to get more families eating and being active together, balancing the calories we consume with the calories we burn.  The fun part is that we can join the Together Counts campaign to keep track of our progress. 

The Together Counts coalition brings together more than 195 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, restaurants, sporting goods and insurance companies, trade associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and professional sports organizations.

How to Join Together Counts (& me!):

You'll find more information at Together Counts , including how to join the pledge (their blog has some great tips!). 

How to Enter to Win Some Great Prizes:

Together Counts is holding a fun sweepstakes on their Together Counts Facebook page to celebrate their first anniversary. Prizes include gift cards, George Foreman Grills and a membership to Anytime Fitness.

How to Enter for More Prizes (while having fun tweeting!)

Please join me and Together Counts as we celebrate Child Nutrition Month at a Twitter party on 4/3 from 8-9 PM EST. Prizes include $50 same-as-cash gift cards. For more information and to RSVP, visit the Together Counts Twitter Party page.

Other Places to Find Together Counts:

Follow Together Counts on Twitter and Pinterest.

Let me know if you join us, so I can look for you on the Together Counts map!   How does your family creatively exercise?

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This is a sponsored post  written by me on behalf of Together Counts and the Global Influence Network. The opinions and text are all mine.

Baby Needs a New Pair of Hundred Dollar Shoes

 

 

 photos from my iPhone, last week

She is one expensive child.

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